Simanaitis Says

On cars, old, new and future; science & technology; vintage airplanes, computer flight simulation of them; Sherlockiana; our English language; travel; and other stuff

ENGLISH 101

AS IS evident from time to time, I am an unabashed Anglophile. Along these lines, here are three books that constitute English 101. (Not that these are in any way … Continue reading

December 26, 2012 · Leave a comment

CHRISTMAS EVE 2012

IN 1822, Clement C. Moore published A Visit From St. Nicholas. This wonderful poem sums up so many things about the holiday, from its image of the real Santa Claus … Continue reading

December 24, 2012 · 1 Comment

CHRISTMAS IN AUSTRIA

INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA, is a beautiful city, and it’s particularly charming during Christmastime with its Christkindlmärkte Altstadt. Here’s a photographic essay from my Christmas 2009 visit. What about a White Christmas? … Continue reading

December 23, 2012 · 2 Comments

FUEL CELLS, PEM & SOLID OXIDE

TWO DISTINCT types of fuel cells have been in the news lately. In a sense, both types are known for performing electrolysis in reverse: They take in hydrogen and oxygen … Continue reading

December 22, 2012 · Leave a comment

A 91.2-MPG DATE WITH VERA

FORTY MPG on the highway seems to be the value that everybody lies about these days. Hence, it is with more than just modest satisfaction that I recall my adventure … Continue reading

December 21, 2012 · 1 Comment

IEA OIL GUSH

RECENT HEADLINES (“U.S. Oil Output to Overtake Saudi’s”) have interesting subtexts cited in Science, 30 November 2012, Vol. 338 and in The New York Times Magazine, December 16, 2012. The … Continue reading

December 20, 2012 · 1 Comment

GABRIEL VOISIN VS THE WRIGHT BROS.

WELCOME TO today’s debate. Its topic, who invented the aeroplane? The Wright Bros. of Dayton, Ohio? Or Gabriel Voisin of Billancourt, Paris, France? In composing the Wright Bros. argument, I used … Continue reading

December 19, 2012 · 4 Comments

INDIANA JONES, OHIO SIMANAITIS

A RECENT refurbishment of Disneyland’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye Adventure reminds me of my own Ohio Simanaitis Adventure. As noted in R&T, April 1996, Henry “Indiana” Jones, … Continue reading

December 18, 2012 · 7 Comments

WACKY’S NEAT CARS

CHICAGO ENTREPRENEUR Stanley Harold “Wacky” Arnolt was more than a car importer; his company S.H. Arnolt was a licensed automobile  manufacturer in the state of Illinois in the 1950s. Arnolt’s … Continue reading

December 17, 2012 · 2 Comments

BIOCHAR AND MR. FORD

AN ARTICLE in Science, 23 November 2012, Vol. 338, discussed “biochar,” a technical term that I felt compelled to investigate. The article described biochar as “Carbon Storage with Benefits.” Specifically, … Continue reading

December 16, 2012 · 1 Comment